” A post-antibiotic era– in which common infections and minor injuries can kill– is a very real possibility for the 21st century.”

“If we don’t act now, our medicine cabinet will be empty and we won’t have the antibiotics we need to save lives.”

You’d think that these kinds of alarm bells sounded by not-so-alarmist organizations as the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control (respectively) about antibiotic-resistance would have policy makers scrambling to protect the efficacy of these life-saving drugs in every way possible.

But entrenched as we are in our reliance on these wonder medicines, reining in the overuse of antibiotics takes a serious effort.

To be fair, doctors and other medical professionals are doing their part. While the CDC estimates that about half of the antibiotics prescribed to people are unnecessary, efforts are underway by doctors and providers to reduce use of antibiotics in humans and there is some evidence that use is beginning to decline.

At Whole Foods: “Friends don’t let friends eat meat with drugs.”

Not so in livestock. About 80% of all antibiotics in the US are sold for use in livestock production, which means that even if doctors (and patients) do their part, we’re not going to get a handle on antibiotics overuse until the meat industry does its part.

Meat producers often give animals regular, low doses of antibiotics to make them gain weight faster and to prevent disease in crowded, unsanitary conditions common on today’s industrial farms. This can create dangerous ‘superbugs’ resistant to antibiotics that can spread to our communities through the air, soil, water, farm workers and the meat we eat. While the FDA has asked drug companies to stop marketing antibiotics to make animals grow faster, the guidance is voluntary and full of loopholes. In fact, the drug companies themselves have said they expect it to have little impact on sales or profits.

Feeding antibiotics to healthy animals is a practice that many companies (and consumers) want no part in – and their demand for no-antibiotics meat is beginning to change the way these drugs are used on farms.

Panera’s truck touts “Antibiotic-free chicken in every bowl. Food you can trust in every bite.”

National grocery chain Whole Foods led the way by requiring meat raised without antibiotics for all of its stores. Restaurant chains like Chipotle and Panera also now have similar requirements, and Chick-fil-A recently announced that it is working with its suppliers to ensure all of its chicken will be raised without antibiotics within five years.

One of the largest chicken producers in the US, Perdue, recently reported that over a third of its sales now come from no-antibiotics chicken products, with organic (which is inherently raised without antibiotics) its fastest growing market. And McDonald’s is now under pressure from consumer groups and even members of Congress to curb the overuse of antibiotics in animals raised for their meat. In addition, hundreds of hospitals and school systems have now also started shifting their meat purchasing to suppliers that don’t routinely use antibiotics – not to mention local businesses and restaurants too numerous to count.

In our own efforts to continue this marketplace movement, Consumers Union has been asking Trader Joe’s to join the ranks of these other businesses and help protect public health by phasing out meat from animals raised on antibiotics. So far the company has been non-committal (surprised? so are many of their customers – and even their employees) but recent surveys of store shelves show increased offerings of no-antibiotics meat such as ground turkey and pork products, and a chicken section that’s almost entirely no-antibiotics. All good steps from Trader Joe’s, but wouldn’t you love to see a commitment from TJ’s to end its sale of meat raised on drugs? We sure would.

As a shopper, you need to do your part too. Be a label-reader. Look for packaging or signs that indicate ‘raised without antibiotics’ in stores where you shop for meat. If you can’t find it, ask for it. Support stores and restaurants that source meat from responsible suppliers that don’t abuse antibiotics. Retailers – and in turn, meat producers – are getting the message that this is what consumers want. Let’s keep the pressure on.

8 Responses to “A turning tide on antibiotic-raised meat”

Thanks for bringing this very important issue to the forefront. I never thought much about it, until now. I’m a regular Trader Joe’s shopper, and I’m not comfortable with buying meat raised with antibiotics. I sent them an email requesting that they consider selling only meat raised without antibiotics. Thanks!!

I am against the unwarranted and unregulated use of antibiotics, also against the unwarranted and unregulated use GMO’s and the unwarranted and unregulated use use High Fructose Corn Syrup in our food supply!

The elimination of antibiotics (and, I believe, hormones as well) in livestock husbandry was already undertaken in Britain some years ago — with no catastropihic disease outbreaks, as was the dire prediction by opponents. I believe most of European meat is now free of prophylactic antibiotics and added hormones. At one time, the EU didn’t want to import US meats for this reason. When are we going to catch on??

Incidentally, livestock raised on grain, rather than pasture (grass and hay) are given large amounts of corn. Bad idea for two reasons: (1) most corn in the US is now GM; and (2) even non-GMO corn will wind up in our bodies from these meats (and milk) as the inflammatory Omega 6 fats — of which we have far too high levels already — rather than the beneficial Omega 3’s. Consequently, I try to get pasture-produced meats, eggs, and dairy whenever possible. Of course, corn (and HFCS) has become ubiquitous in our food supply thanks to the government subsidizing corn (and soy) producers.

I do use products containing fructose syrup if I can find a substitute. That is one of the reasons I no longer drink soda.; i.e. coaca cola and pepsi. Wild deer and elk are antibiotic free as well as a locally raised Buffalo. I buy my beef and pork at the local butcher who uses only organic meats. I read labels so I know what I am getting. If at all possible I stay away from meat that has antibiotics and anything that contains fructose syrup.

I think Trader Joe’s is making a solid effort to move towards antibiotic free products as referenced by this statement on their website.
“As is made plain by the offerings in our stores, we are interested in making available to our customers products made with meat and poultry raised without the use of antibiotics—and our interest comes from feedback from our customers. We go to great lengths to make these items as consistently available as possible and are focused on the value they present—great quality at a great price. In support of our customers’ looking for a variety of meat and poultry options, we continue to develop new sources to support new product offerings across a range of attributes, including antibiotic-free (ABF) products.”